IBM i 6.1 and 7.1 gave us many new commands and functions, including Display Service Tools User ID (DSPSSTUSR), which is very useful and should be part of your regularly scheduled security audits.

Written by Steve Pitcher

System Service Tools (SST) accounts can perform moderate maintenance on your Power Systems and IBM i operating system. You can work with disk configuration and partitions, view the product activity log, and much more. Dedicated Service Tools (DST) require the system to be in manual mode and allow you access to additional functions, such as working with the Licensed Internal Code (LIC). The same accounts are set up to access both SST and DST. Ideally, you want to ensure that these Service Tools accounts are under the watchful eye of your most trusted administrators. Any oddities should be investigated.

Since 2004, when we published the first edition of PowerTech's popular security study, we've seen many exciting enhancements in the operating system we now call IBM i. Unfortunately, when it comes to changes in the configuration of the server's security controls, the story is much darker.

Each year, PowerTech's popular "State of IBM i Security" study reports on the assigned value of the IBM security system value, QSECURITY. While many systems now are running at the IBM recommended minimum level of 40, there are still numerous organizations that are running at level 30 and even (gasp!) level 20.

PowerTech's Compliance Assessment performs a valuable service to hundreds of IBM i shops each year.

Written by Robin Tatam

With the New Year and a new operating budget, it's time for many companies to start a security project. However, based on some of the calls I've received recently, there remains a lack of clear direction regarding the tasks and priorities.

One of the greatest challenges an organization faces when securing an IBM i environment is protecting the system from the very people who are charged with its care: programmers, administrators, and security officers. While these power users often need access to restricted objects and commands, they rarely need that level of access 24 hours a day—and definitely not without accountability.

PowerTech Compliance Monitor scorecards make easy work of a tedious, but critical, task.

Written by Robin Tatam

One of the most common requests I receive from customers is a way to provide the management team and auditors with a simple dashboard-type report of a system's configuration and its conformance with a baseline policy. For single systems, this can be a time-consuming task, prone to human error. When there are tens, or even hundreds, of system partitions, the work involved can become prohibitive.

Let's face it; monitoring security events on IBM i servers probably isn't at the top of anyone's "bucket list." However, it's a critical process that every organization should perform to ensure that unauthorized activities don't occur unnoticed. Typically, there are two main issues with monitoring a system manually: 1) you have to deliberately (and repeatedly) check to see if something has happened, and 2) you are probably looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack of logged events.

Your applications deserve more than just a new look! Change the perception of the IBM i as “old” with modern development tips from IBM and Profound Logic Software.Watch as Barbara Morris, Brian May and Alex Roytman dive beneath the GUI surface to show the benefits of:

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Going beyond the 10 character limit in display and database files

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You'll also see a live demonstration of these techniques as the presenters create a modern web application before your eyes!

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